War Begins

The cold night was like frost, the moon a hook.

At this moment, three people were chasing one another across the vast wilderness.

The Beast Sect Leader ran at the front, moving so fast that afterimages trailed behind him.

Behind him were Division Magistrate Zhang and Head Constable Xie.

One ahead and two behind, they gave chase with all their strength.

The distance between the two sides was steadily closing.

The Beast Sect Leader was covered from head to toe in long golden fur, like a tiger racing through the wilderness.

He turned his head, baring his fangs as he spoke in a cold, sinister voice.

"Leaving no survivors—just as expected of the Demon Suppression Division. Won't you even leave me the slightest chance to live?"

No one answered him.

Division Magistrate Zhang and Head Constable Xie had both placed their hands on their sword hilts, cold light in their eyes.

Today, the Beast Cult had been wiped out completely.

Only its Sect Leader remained. He had to be executed.

Only then could this matter be brought to a satisfactory close. Otherwise, there would be endless future trouble.

The distance between them continued to shrink.

All three were experts, and they had pushed their speed to its limit.

But the Beast Sect Leader was always just a little slower. Being caught was only a matter of time.

The Beast Sect Leader seemed to know that continuing like this would lead only to death, and he suddenly stopped.

The moment he stopped, Division Magistrate Zhang and Head Constable Xie stopped as well.

The two sides kept a safe distance apart, concentrating as they remained on guard.

The golden fur on the Beast Sect Leader's face trembled, and the yellow-and-white markings twisted. "It seems that today, one of us is bound to fall."

He looked past Division Magistrate Zhang.

There was nothing there—empty wilderness without a soul in sight.

By now, they were already very far from that small temple.

Division Magistrate Zhang said coldly, "If you lay down your weapon and surrender obediently, perhaps you will die a little more easily."

He knew there was no point in saying it, but in a situation like this, it somehow felt as though something was missing without it.

The Beast Sect Leader burst into laughter. "If those subordinates of yours were still here, I might really surrender. But with only the two of you, you're completely insignificant."

He truly had not expected them to join forces with people from the Blood Shadow Gate and move against the Beast Cult.

The battle had erupted far too suddenly.

Many members of the Beast Cult had still been resting when the surprise attack came.

The entire operation had been exceedingly swift.

Some had not even reacted before their throats were slit.

In the end, not a single member of the Demon Suppression Division had died, while everyone else in the Beast Cult had been annihilated.

When the Beast Sect Leader saw those dozens of Demon Suppression Division members, he immediately chose to flee.

After all, two fists could not beat four hands.

Not to mention that Head Constable Xie and Division Magistrate Zhang were there as well. If he stayed, he would have no chance of survival.

So he ran.

But he had not expected them to pursue him.

Nor had he expected them to chase him this far.

The Beast Sect Leader felt that he still had a chance for revenge.

Black shadows constantly swirled beneath his feet.

Soon, the shadows flowed like water and wrapped around the Beast Sect Leader's entire body.

Shrouded in those black shadows, the Beast Sect Leader's aura became cold and terrifying.

His body stretched taller, his original height of 1.8 meters instantly growing to five meters, like a towering giant.

Black shadows condensed into claws around the Beast Sect Leader's hands.

Even the moonlight that fell upon them was swallowed by the shadows.

He was not merely the Sect Leader of the Beast Cult. He had once been a disciple of the Blood Shadow Gate.

"Today, I'll send you two to become ghosts beneath the earth."

The moment the Beast Sect Leader finished speaking, he turned into an afterimage and lunged at Division Magistrate Zhang.

His speed was now twice what it had been before.

Division Magistrate Zhang felt his vision blur, and the Beast Sect Leader was already before him.

Those claws carried killing intent as they came down from above, seeking to split Division Magistrate Zhang in two.

Just then, a flash of sword light lit up.

A long sword shot between them, catching the Beast Sect Leader's claws.

Head Constable Xie struck at the critical moment. Feeling immense force travel along his sword, he staggered back several steps.

Division Magistrate Zhang attacked as well.

His swordsmanship was completely different from Head Constable Xie's.

It was broad and forceful, as though it could split mountains and cleave the earth.

Every strike possessed boundless power.

While Head Constable Xie held back the Beast Sect Leader, he slashed out with his sword.

Dazzling sword light spread out in sheets.

When the shadows around the Beast Sect Leader came into contact with the sword light, they actually devoured it.

But clearly, this was not easy for him either.

The Beast Sect Leader retreated several steps, lightly rubbing his claws together.

He looked at Head Constable Xie with mockery in his eyes.

"Thousand-Faced Blade Xie Feng, you were once quite a notable figure, yet you actually submitted to the imperial court and became their lapdog."

"Back then, you fought river pirates alone in the night and overturned more than a dozen of their boats. Now even your edges have been worn away by the court."

Head Constable Xie's expression remained calm, though the scar on his face twisted faintly. "I am no longer the Thousand-Faced Blade Xie Feng I once was. The end of the martial world is the imperial court. Working for the court is better than sleeping rough and living on the wind and dew. People like you simply can't see that clearly."

"Heh..." The Beast Sect Leader sneered. "Fine, fine. Two experts against me—I'm truly honored. If I don't reveal some trump cards, I really won't be able to kill you."

No one answered him again.

Division Magistrate Zhang and Head Constable Xie attacked at the same time.

One wielded swordsmanship of overwhelming force, while the other struck as swiftly as lightning.

Their techniques complemented one another, covering each other's weaknesses, and formed a dense net of sword light.

Every inch of it brimmed with immense destructive power.

If Zhou An arrived at this moment, he would realize that Head Constable Xie had been hiding his strength as well.

When Head Constable Xie had taught him before, he had broken into a sweat after slashing out a single streak of white light. Yet now, he could effortlessly weave a net of sword light.

In this world, Zhou An was not the only one who knew how to conceal his abilities.

The sword net had been woven by Head Constable Xie, while the powerful sword light within it belonged to Division Magistrate Zhang.

In the blink of an eye, the Beast Sect Leader was trapped within the sword net.

The net rapidly contracted. Once it closed in, it would slice the Beast Sect Leader into pieces.

At that moment, the Beast Sect Leader suddenly took something out and tossed it into the air.

It was a small, exquisitely crafted box, carved with all manner of intricate reliefs.

After the box was thrown skyward, its lid suddenly opened, and a massive black shadow emerged from within.

The shadow wrapped around the Beast Sect Leader, drawing a muffled groan of pain from him.

The sword net passed through his body, yet it dissipated with ease.

His cries of pain grew increasingly intense. Along with those muffled groans, the Beast Sect Leader's body continued to expand.

In the blink of an eye, he had grown from five meters to eight.

Division Magistrate Zhang's expression changed drastically. "It's a treasure of the Blood Shadow Gate—the Shadow Box!"

Head Constable Xie seemed to have heard of the name as well, and his face turned pale. "We can't fight this. Retreat!"

The two of them knew about the treasures of the Blood Shadow Gate.

They also knew that the treasure Chef Liu had stolen had already been presented to the Beast Sect Leader.

The Shadow Box contained a trace of the shadow of every person who had joined the Blood Shadow Gate. But unlike the lie Chef Liu had made up before, it had no power to control people.

Its only effect was to release every shadow at once and temporarily enhance one's abilities.